TV Locations – Page 9 – IAMNOTASTALKER

August 7, 2019August 8, 2019

The Filming Locations of “Big Little Lies” Season 2 – “Tell-Tale Hearts”

“Tell-Tale Hearts,” the second episode of Big Little Lies’ second season, boasts some of the series’ most quotable, meme-worthy moments, largely thanks to the inimitable Renata Klein (Laura Dern) – “Will somebody give a woman a moment??” It also features some of the show’s most memorable locales [the forest where Bonnie Carlson (Zoë Kravitz) hikes with her mom, amirite?], the majority of which are detailed below. (I am still missing a few, which I will add in as they are found.) As was the case with Monday’s post about sites from episode 1, “What Have They Done?”, since I have already chronicled filming of BLL’s inaugural season extensively, I will not be covering flashbacks. And places that appear in multiple episodes will be mentioned as such, so expect some crossover.

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1. Celeste’s Accident (Skyline Drive, just west of Mar Vista Drive, Monterey) – In the episode’s opener, Celeste Wright (Nicole Kidman) gets into an Ambien- induced accident on a tree-lined span of Skyline Drive in Monterey and has to be rescued by Madeline Martha Mackenzie (Reese Witherspoon).

As they drive away from the accident, Celeste and Madeline run into Bonnie, out for an early morning hike, on Skyline Road, a bit north of where it intersects with Shepherds Place.

2. Gordon’s Arrest (Malibu Country Mart, 3835 Cross Creek Road, Malibu) – Life starts to fall apart for Renata and her husband, Gordon Klein (Jeffrey Nordling), at the top of “Tell-Tale Hearts,” shortly after the two grab a beverage at SunLife Organics juice bar in the Malibu Country Mart.

While walking to their car, drinks in hand, Gordon is approached by the FBI and arrested for securities fraud outside of Kron Chocolatier. Both shops featured in the segment are situated in the center of the plaza, on Cross Creek Road in between Civic Center Way and the Pacific Coast Highway – though it took me a beat to figure that out. The Country Mart bears such an uncanny resemblance to Monterey’s Del Monte Shopping Center that at first blush I was convinced the shoot had taken place on the Central Coast. It was not until I took a closer look that I realized filming actually occurred in the ‘Bu.

3. Celeste’s House (40 Yankee Point Drive, Carmel) – The gorgeous home where Celeste lives, featured throughout both Seasons 1 and 2, is an actual Monterey residence. In “Tell-Tale Hearts,” the front of the property, garage, driveway, kitchen, dining room, rear patio and living room all appear.

4. Monterey Bay Aquarium (886 Cannery Row, Monterey) – While on their lunch break at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Corey Brockfield (Douglas Smith) asks Jane Chapman (Shailene Woodley) out on a “practice date.” Spoiler – she shuts him down due to the fact that he is “very strange.” [Couldn’t agree more, Jane! Bring back Tom (Joseph Cross)!] Per the aquatic museum’s website, one of the facility’s actual employee lounges was used for the scene.

5. Gordon’s Jail (Spring Street Courthouse, 312 North Spring Street, downtown Los Angeles) – Renata visits Gordon in jail, gets held up by a metal detector, spews some choice epithets at a security guard, and famously proclaims “I will not NOT be rich!” at downtown L.A.’s Spring Street Courthouse.

Comically, while the scene was supposed to take place in Monterey, a sign reading “Los A . . . “ (I can only assume the rest of it spells out “ngeles”), is visible in the background, giving away the site’s true location.

Gordon’s hearing is also held at the Spring Street Courthouse later in the episode.

6. Liberation Yoga (124 South La Brea Avenue, Hancock Park) – Bonnie receives a surprise – and unwelcome – visit from her mother, Elizabeth Howard (Crystal Fox), at the supposed Monterey-area yoga studio she owns. Filming actually took place in Hancock Park, at Liberation Yoga, the same spot used as Bonnie’s studio in Season 1.

7. Bonnie and Nathan’s House (636 Crater Camp Drive, Calabasas) – Bonnie and Nathan Carlson (James Tupper) argue about Elizabeth’s stay in the backyard of their supposed Central Coast home, which, in reality, can be found a good 300 miles south of Monterey in Calabasas. The same idyllic spot also portrayed the couple’s residence in Season 1.

8. Café Descanso (Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge – Renata spills the tea about her money troubles to Madeline at Café Descanso, the women’s regular Season 2 hangout.

Nathan also challenges Ed Mackenzie (Adam Scott) to a fight at the eatery, which is located on the grounds of Descanso Gardens, later in the episode. You can read an in-depth post I wrote on the location here.

9. Otter Bay Elementary School (Kenter Canyon Elementary School, 645 North Kenter Avenue, Brentwood) – Kenter Canyon Elementary pops up as Otter Bay, the school attended by the Monterey 5’s children, in virtually every episode of Season 1 and 2. In “Tell-Tale Hearts,” the facility’s front entrance, a classroom and main quad all appear.

10. Bonnie and Elizabeth’s Hike (Old Coast Road, south of Bixby Creek Bridge, Big Sur) – Elizabeth attempts to have a heart-to-heart with Bonnie on a majestic wooded stretch of Old Coast Road in Big Sur. The absolutely magical spot is also where Bonnie runs in episode 1, “What Have They Done?”

11. Celeste and Perry’s Date Flashback (Melrose Umbrella Co., 7465 Melrose Avenue, Fairfax) – In “Tell-Tale Hearts,” a grieving Celeste reminisces about happier times with Perry Wright (Alexander Skarsgård), more specifically one of their early dates in which they discuss their families. Though virtually none of the date restaurant can be seen, the tiered booth edge visible behind Celeste is a giveaway that the segment was shot at Melrose Umbrella Co.

12. Madeline and Ed’s House (30760 Broad Beach Road, Malibu) – The Cape Cod-style residence where Madeline and Ed live makes its first Season 2 appearance in “Tell-Tale Hearts.” Interestingly, the locale is a mash-up of a couple different places. The interior and backyard are part of a sprawling Malibu retreat, which you, too, can call home! Well, for a night or two, at least – the property operates as a vacation rental in real life. (I wrote a full-length post on it here.) The front of the house (seen in “She Knows,” as well as a few S1 episodes) is on the Central Coast at 2830 14th Avenue in Carmel.

13. Jane’s Apartment (Ocean Harbor, 125 Surf Way, Monterey) – Jane tells Ziggy Chapman (Iain Armitage) the truth about his father and later invites Celeste and the twins, Josh (Cameron Crovetti) and Max (Nicholas Crovetti), over for a family gettogether at her new Ocean Harbor apartment in “Tell-Tale Hearts.” Only the interior of the space (which I believe was a set) appears in the episode. The exterior of the complex is not shown until episode 3, “The End of the World.”

14. Blissful Drip Café (Lovers Point Park, 631 Ocean View Boulevard, Pacific Grove) – Jane and Celeste meet to discuss the newfound complications of their children’s relationship at Blissful Drip Café, which, along with Café Descanso, serves as a regular hangout in Season 2. As I documented here, the open air coffee shop is not a real place, but was a temporary set constructed solely for the series at Lovers Point Park.

15. Renata Ditches Gordon (General Jim Moore Boulevard, Seaside) – In what has to be my favorite scene from the season, Renata blows her top at Gordon while driving him home from prison and winds up leaving him by the side of a hilly, lush road, her hand lifted through the sunroof in a not-so-subtle gesture. The hilarious segment (which you can watch here – warning, it is definitely NSFW!) was lensed on General Jim Moore Boulevard, slightly north of Hilby Road, in Seaside.

Be sure to check back Friday for locales from episode 3, “The End of the World.”

August 5, 2019August 7, 2019

The Filming Locations of “Big Little Lies” Season 2 – “What Have They Done”

I’ve made no secret of my apathy for the second season of Big Little Lies. But I was, of course, still entranced by its locations, which I’ve been obsessively IDing ever since episode 1 aired in early June. So I figure it is only appropriate to follow up my complete guide to the locales from Season 1 by doing the same for S2. Because a great deal more sites were featured this time around (S1 utilized 25 spots total, while S2 boasted 18 in its premiere alone!), an episode-by-episode breakdown seems to make the most sense here. I apologize in advance to the non-Big Little Lies fans out there! (A couple of notes – since I have already covered Season 1 extensively, I will not be including any flashback scenes. Places that appear in multiple episodes will be mentioned as such, so there will be some crossover and repetition in the various posts. And I am also missing a few locales, but will add them in as they are found.)

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And now, without further ado, I present all of the locations from Big Little Lies’ Season 2 premiere, “What Have They Done?”, in order of appearance.

1. Celeste’s House (40 Yankee Point Drive, Carmel) – All of the women’s Season 1 residences, aside from Jane Chapman’s (Shailene Woodley), are re-used in Season 2, including the modern cliffside manse where Celeste Wright (Nicole Kidman) lives with her boys, Josh (Cameron Crovetti) and Max (Nicholas Crovetti). In “What Have They Done?,” the pad’s actual front entrance, rear patio, living and dining rooms are featured (the latter is the site of that infamous scream!), but, as was the case with Season 1, the enormous master suite was just a soundstage-built set.

2. Jane’s New Apartment (Ocean Harbor, 125 Surf Way, Monterey) – Season 2 finds Jane and her son, Ziggy Chapman (Iain Armitage), living in an apartment in Ocean Harbor, the same waterfront complex where Celeste leased a unit at the end of S1. Though the inside of their new place (which I believe was a set) is featured in “What Have They Done?” . . .

. . . the exterior is not seen until episode 3, “The End of the World.”

3. Otter Bay Elementary School (Kenter Canyon Elementary School, 645 North Kenter Avenue, Brentwood) – At the outset of Season 2, the children of the Monterey 5 embark upon their second-grade year at Otter Bay, once again portrayed by Kenter Canyon Elementary School in Brentwood. In “What Have They Done?”, the front of the school, exterior hallways, parking lot, quad, and auditorium are all featured.

The park at the southern end of the school is also where the kids dance in the opening credits.

4. Madeline Gets Cut Off (Intersection of Esplanade Street and Ocean View Drive, Pacific Grove) – In a nod to the Season 1 premiere, while heading to grab coffee with Celeste, Madeline Martha Mackenzie (Reese Witherspoon) gets cut off by a fellow driver and then aggressively lays on her horn (because, as she explains, “Once I lean in, you know how I am!”) in the very same spot where she fell and rolled her ankle in “Somebody’s Dead.”

5. Blissful Drip Café (Lovers Point Park, 631 Ocean View Boulevard, Pacific Grove) – After dropping their kids off for their first day of school, Madeline and Celeste hit up their new java hangout, Blissful Drip Café, where Madeline has an unfortunate tête-à-tête with Mary Louise Wright (Meryl Streep). The bohemian outdoor eatery is not a real place, but was a temporary set constructed solely for the show in a grassy expanse of Lovers Point Park, as I documented in this post.

In the scene, the women park in front of the former Lattitudes at Lovers Point restaurant (631 Ocean View Drive), which currently sits vacant.

6. Ed and Tori’s Grocery Store Encounter (Whole Foods Market, 331 North Glendale Avenue, Glendale) – Ed Mackenzie (Adam Scott) runs into Tori Bachman (Sarah Sokolovic) – and her new, ahem, assets – at the Glendale outpost of Whole Foods Market. (Big THANK YOU to my friend/Brady Bunch aficionado Michael for IDing this location.)

7. Bonnie’s Run (Old Coast Road, south of Bixby Creek Bridge, Big Sur) – The bucolic forested path where Bonnie (Zoë Kravitz) runs – and relives Season 1’s murder – can be found on Old Coast Road in Big Sur. The same trail is also where Bonnie and her mom, Elizabeth Howard (Crystal Fox), hike in “Tell-Tale Hearts.”

8. Bonnie and Nathan’s House (636 Crater Camp Drive, Calabasas) – The same gorgeous Calabasas bungalow from Season 1 serves as the home of Bonnie and Nathan Carlson (James Tupper) in Season 2.

9. Monterey Bay Aquarium (886 Cannery Row, Monterey) – Jane inexplicably goes from being an accountant in Season 1 to a Monterey Bay Aquarium educator in Season 2. The popular aquatic museum plays itself in “What Have They Done?” (as well as in several other episodes), with Jane and her new co-worker/love interest Corey Brockfield (Douglas Smith) leading a class in one of the site’s Discovery Labs.

10. Café Descanso (Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge) – Unlike Blissful Drip, Season 2’s other new coffee shop hangout, Café Descanso, is a real place. It is at the picturesque site, located on the grounds of Descanso Gardens, that Nathan begs Ed to take Bonnie to lunch in “What Have They Done?” The eatery also pops up in “Tell-Tale Hearts,” “The End of the World,” and “She Knows.” You can read a more in-depth post on it here.

11. Renata’s House (27326 Winding Way, Malibu) – Renata Klein (Laura Dern) poses for a “Women in Power” photoshoot at the same palatial mansion that served as her residence in Season 1. While the exterior and interior are both seen in the premiere episode (as well as throughout the rest of S2), I am fairly certain that Gordon’s (Jeffrey Nordling) beloved man cave was just a set.

12. Madeline’s House Showing (98 Yankee Point Drive, Carmel) – In Monterey, selling houses is “like printing money,” at least according to Madeline who has made the change from working in community theatre to peddling real estate. She is not very good at her job, though, as evidenced by the personal call she makes to Renata during a showing. The gorgeous seaside pad where she ignores her clients can be found right down the street from Celeste’s. A former real estate listing describes the place as being of “such innovative design, of such sheer drama that it vies for attention with the pounding Pacific Ocean itself.” You can see images of its interior here.

13. Sea Cliff High School (Ramona Convent Secondary School, 1701 West Ramona Road, Alhambra) – Abigail Carlson (Kathryn Newton) announces to Madeline and Nathan that she is not planning on attending college (which somehow results in a shoving match) during a parent/teacher conference at the fictional Sea Cliff High School. Filming took place at Ramona Convent Secondary, an all-girls Catholic preparatory in Alhambra.

14. Madeline’s Real Estate Office (Deasy Penner Podley, 30 North Baldwin Avenue, Sierra Madre) – The “Monterey” Sotheby’s office where Madeline works – and where she runs into Mary Louise in “What Have They Done?” – is the Sierra Madre branch of Deasy Penner Podley. I further detail the brokerage, which also appears in “The End of the World,” here.

15. Del Monte Beach (653 Del Monte Avenue, Monterey) – Jane’s solo shoreline dance is interrupted by Corey, who brashly asks about her involvement with the Monterey 5, at the Central Coast’s secluded Del Monte Beach. This spot is, coincidentally, just down the street from Jane’s new apartment.

16. Carmel River State Beach (Carmelo Street and Scenic Road, Carmel) – An establishing shot of the parking lot at Carmel River State Beach is shown in the scene in which the ladies discuss the latest developments in Perry Wright’s (Alexander Skarsgård) murder case.

I am fairly certain, though, that actual filming of the segment took place on Ocean View Boulevard near Lovers Point Park.

17. Side Door Café (Happy Trails Garden, 207 South Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena) – An oft-used locale from Season 1, Side Door Café only pops up once this time around. In “What Have They Done?” Celeste and Jane have a late-night meet-up there to discuss Perry’s estate. The striking space, formerly known as Happy Trails Garden, was sadly shuttered in early 2018 and currently sits vacant. You can read my 2017 post on it here.

18. Carmel-By-The-Sea Police Department (Junipero Avenue & 4th Avenue, Carmel) – In what becomes a regular occurrence throughout Season 2, Bonnie ventures over to the Carmel-By-The-Sea Police Department, which plays itself, at the end of “What Have They Done?”

Be sure to check out my look at episode 2, “Tell-Tale Hearts.”

July 29, 2019July 29, 2019

Bean Town from “Big Little Lies”

Big Little Lies sure made use of Sierra Madre this season (in case you missed my other posts on the city’s BLL appearances, you can check them out here, here and here). And it is not very hard to see why. The San Gabriel Valley town, situated just east of Pasadena, is charming, picturesque and extremely evocative of the past. It is like Pleasantville come to life! The place is also very reminiscent of Carmel, where the show is set, though it is even more quaint than the Northern California hamlet if you can believe it. And the hit HBO series utilized pretty much every square inch of it, including Bean Town, the beloved coffee house at 45 North Baldwin Avenue, which stood in for a pizza parlor, of all things, in episode 4. Though I blogged about the café back in February 2009, due to its recent small screen cameo, I decided it was time for a redo.

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I learned about Bean Town’s appearance on Big Little Lies thanks to the employees at Mother Moo Creamery (situated just down the road at 17 Kersting Court), whom I spoke with while researching my article about locales from the series for the June issue of Los Angeles magazine. They informed me that the coffee shop was altered significantly for the shoot and, boy oh boy, was it ever! So much so that, even with the insider information, I had a heck of a time figuring out what was lensed on the premises.

It was not until I started scanning through the café’s Instagram feed that I figured things out. During the March 2018 shoot, Bean Town’s owners graciously posted several photos of the space dressed for the filming. The set of images showed the coffee shop decked out to look like an upscale Italian restaurant, with large pieces of art dotting the walls, autumn decorations splayed on tabletops, and garlic strands hanging from the ceiling. One look and I knew immediately that Bean Town was the spot where Mary Louise Wright (Meryl Streep) took grandsons Josh (Cameron Crovetti) and Max (Nicholas Crovetti) for “the beeeeesssst pizza in the wooooooorld!” in “She Knows.” Virtually none of the café is actually shown in the scene (which is surprising considering the energy apparently spent on decorating it). What you see below is the extent of its appearance.

Despite the scant footage, though, enough was visible for me to be able to positively identify the place. As you can see, the artwork, fall wreath and decorative plate positioned behind Mary Louise in the segment match the décor pictured in Bean Town’s Instagram photo of the café’s back wall perfectly.

In everyday life, that back wall looks considerably different.

Per Bean Town’s Instagram, the coffee shop was closed for a full four days for the shoot, from Tuesday, March 27th through Friday, March 30th, so it is fairly gobsmacking that its appearance amounted to exactly sixty seconds of screen time! Typically, a scene of that length would require about a half a day of filming. And while the set dressing was extensive . . .

. . . I just can’t imagine that it necessitated three and a half days of prep and strike time.

So where did all that extra time go? My guess is that several additional segments were shot at the pizza parlor, but that they, like so much of Season 2, wound up on the cutting room floor. Who knows for certain, but man, what I wouldn’t give to see director Andrea Arnold’s original cut!

The Big Little Lies shoot required Bean Town and the Starbucks down the block (the only two coffee shops in the area!) to be closed simultaneously (the horror!), so, in an amazing gesture, the former set up an outdoor kiosk and offered free java so the community would not be without! The café, which was originally established in the ‘80s, actually has a long history of goodwill. When a horrible wind storm hit the San Gabriel Valley in December 2011, owner Matt Krantz powered the eatery with three generators so that locals could still get their fix. As he explained to the Patch, “We lost some signage, we lost a light and the awning tore up a bit but other than that, we’re here. Bumps and bruises. I could sit at home and not do anything, but I’d rather be here trying to keep everybody together and keep the sense of community that Sierra Madre is basically founded on.” He also delivered coffee and baked goods to the city crews working to get the town back up and running. And, in 2013, when a beloved barista unexpectedly passed away, Krantz not only shuttered the place for two full days to give friends and family a place to gather and mourn, but he also held a fundraiser on the premises to help with funeral costs. Bean Town is a café with heart! Oh, and their coffee is darn good, to boot!

As I mentioned in my 2009 post, Bean Town also appeared numerous times throughout the 2005 comedy Kicking and Screaming . . .

. . . most notably in the scene in which Phil Weston (Will Ferrell) has a minor breakdown over a too-long line. (I’ve been there, Phil! I’ve been there!) You can check out the hilarious segment here.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Bean Town, aka the pizza restaurant from the “She Knows” episode of Big Little Lies, is located at 45 North Baldwin Avenue in Sierra Madre. You can visit the eatery’s official website here. Several other spots from Season 2 can be found on the same block. The Starbucks where Tori Bachman (Sarah Sokolovic) propositioned Ed Mackenzie (Adam Scott) in “The Bad Mother” and where Renata Klein (Laura Dern) lashed out at Mary Louise in “I Want to Know” is just down the road at 1 Kersting Court. Mother Moo Creamery, where Madeline Martha Mackenzie (Reese Witherspoon) threw an ice cream cone at Mary Louise in a scene that was ultimately cut, is a few doors away at 17 Kersting Court. Deasy Penner Podley, aka Madeline’s real estate office, is at 30 North Baldwin Avenue. And the fictional Seaside Coffee Shop seen on Reese’s Instagram was created in the storefront that now houses Capelli Court Salon at 26 North Baldwin Avenue.

July 26, 2019July 27, 2019

Seaside Coffee Shop from “Big Little Lies”

My favorite filming location find from this season of Big Little Lies isn’t actually a filming location at all! Back on March 19th, 2018, shortly after shooting of S2 commenced, Reese Witherspoon posted an Instagram photo of herself sitting in front of the supposed Central Coast-area Seaside Coffee Shop with costar Laura Dern, captioning, “Watch out, Monterey, here we come! #BLL2.” Being that it was pretty much the first image of the season to be released, it naturally sent fans’ tongues wagging. I, for one, was practically drooling with anticipation upon seeing it! I also, of course, wanted to know exactly where the pic had been taken. I assumed (correctly) that Seaside Coffee Shop was not an actual eatery, but a mocked-up storefront. Because the series utilizes both the Central Coast and Southern California, though, I had no idea where to even begin looking. Figuring (incorrectly) that the café would appear in a scene during the upcoming season and I’d be better able to track it down then, I put my quest on the back burner. While it never did pop up onscreen, I was, thankfully, able to ID it anyway. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times – stalking begets stalking! The morning after the premiere, titled “What Have They Done?”, aired, I went on the hunt for its locations and quickly pinpointed the real estate office where Madeline Martha Mackenzie (Witherspoon) works as the Deasy Penner Podley brokerage firm situated on the bottom floor of Hotel Shirley in Sierra Madre. It was the coloring of the building that I recognized and, as soon as I did, a lightbulb went off in my head as I realized that Seaside Coffee Shop could be found in the same spot!

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While Hotel Shirley’s northern street-level storefront (on the left-hand side below) portrayed Madeline’s real estate office (as denoted in this post), Seaside Coffee Shop was erected next door in the southern unit.

During my stalk of both locales back in late June, I asked the incredibly friendly Deasy Penner Podley agents about the Seaside Coffee Shop set (which they were shocked I had identified). They informed me that at the time of the Big Little Lies shoot, the space was vacant and that they believed it was not utilized for any filming, but created solely for the background of the various scenes taking place at Madeline’s office. Aside from Reese’s Instagram (and Laura Dern’s), though, the place was never seen – in the background or otherwise – so I guess whatever was shot in its vicinity wound up on the cutting room floor.

Today, the storefront is home to Capelli Court Salon.

It is a shame that it never appeared onscreen because the charming little shop would have been a welcome addition to the rather lackluster landscape of Season 2.

Reese did post a second image taken at the locale to Instagram on June 10 of this year, the day after “What Have They Done?” aired, saying “Pull up a chair! Let’s spill some #BLL tea from last night’s premiere!”, so I guess she found it pretty picturesque, too.

Even though Seaside Coffee Shop was never used for a scene, I was thrilled to finally be able to ID and stalk it!

The fictional café was created in the Capelli Court space’s northern window.

To complete the look, the site was dressed with signage, curtains, flowers in the window planter, and a bistro set.

I was ecstatic to discover a table and chairs set up on the sidewalk a stone’s throw away from Capelli Court’s exterior when I showed up to stalk the place. While the table was too heavy for me to move into position, I did pull one of the chairs over to pose à la Reese.

Even without the chair and other café adornments, though, the locale is still extremely recognizable – a little slice of Monterey right here in L.A. for BLL fans to enjoy!

The interior of the Capelli Court site was utilized by another HBO series, as well. In the Season 1 episode of Camping titled “Going to Town,” which aired in 2018, Jandice (Juliette Lewis) and Miguel (Arturo Del Puerto) shop for a ring at a fictional antique store the production created in the then-vacant space.

Though the front of the shop did not appear in the episode, the rear entrance could briefly be seen.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: The fictional Seaside Coffee Shop from Big Little Lies was created in the storefront that now houses Capelli Court Salon at 26 North Baldwin Avenue in Sierra Madre. Deasy Penner Podley, aka Madeline’s real estate office from the show, is next door at 30 North Baldwin Avenue. Several other sites from Season 2 can be found on the same block including the Starbucks at 1 Kersting Court, where Tori Bachman (Sarah Sokolovic) propositioned Ed Mackenzie (Adam Scott) in “The Bad Mother” and where Renata Klein (Dern) lashed out at Mary Louise Wright (Meryl Streep) in “I Want to Know”, and Mother Moo Creamery at 17 Kersting Court, where Madeline threw an ice cream cone at Mary Louise in a scene that was ultimately cut.

July 24, 2019July 27, 2019

Madeline’s Real Estate Office from “Big Little Lies”

I try to keep things positive on this blog, but, man, Sunday night’s Big Little Lies finale was an epic disappointment! The entire season was hugely lackluster, truth be told, which is especially frustrating considering the outright perfection of Season 1. I will contend that the first few episodes started out semi-promising, but the show quickly made an about-face, jumping the shark not long after Renata Klein’s (Laura Dern) “I will not NOT be rich!” jailhouse proclamation. My friend Jennifer summed things up perfectly when she messaged me Monday morning saying, “This entire season felt like it was a bunch of shots composed of the following: the same flashbacks over and over again; waves; shaky cam footage with low-to-no sound; driving shots. That was the meat and potatoes of the season, and the dessert was the one or two shots each episode that didn’t fall into those categories.” The locations proved just as mediocre as the rest of the season (again, especially disappointing considering those of S1), but I still have quite a few left in my arsenal to blog about including the real estate office where Madeline Martha Mackenzie (Reese Witherspoon) worked. So here goes!

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The supposed Monterey-area Sotheby’s where Madeline is employed first appeared in Season 2’s premiere, “What Have They Done?” (How Madeline went from being the director of a community theater in Season 1 to a real estate agent in Season 2 was never explained – like so many of the other changes made – but I guess that is beside the point.)

I did not recognize the office when initially watching the episode the night it aired back in June, but while scanning through it the following morning on the hunt for locales, I noticed the bright green and orange coloring of its exterior, shown fleetingly as Madeline walks inside, and knew immediately that filming had taken place at Hotel Shirley in Sierra Madre.

Thanks to my many visits to Sierra Madre when I lived in nearby Pasadena, I have long been familiar with the two-story structure, which is a focal point of the city’s quaint downtown.

Though one of the area’s Historical Landmarks, oddly, I could not find much information about Hotel Shirley’s background online.

Per the sign displayed out front, the building dates back to 1889 when it served as the headquarters of Hawks & Copps Real Estate and Insurance. In 1911, it was rebuilt as Hotel Shirley, a lodging for visitors to Mt. Wilson described by newspapers of the day as an “ideal summer resort in the mountains” boasting “fine cuisine” as well as having “no fleas or mosquitoes” – always a plus. In later years, the property became everything from a church meeting hall to a grocer to a house of ill repute before finally being purchased by local realtor Judy Webb-Martin in 1994. She set about restoring the structure to operate, in part, as her brokerage firm, a project which took five years to complete. Being that Hawks & Copps was the city’s first real estate office, the site really has come full circle. You can check out a short video Judy put together about the building’s provenance, which is where the black and white still below comes from, here.

Big Little Lies made use of the north side of Hotel Shirley’s lower level which, in real life, is home to the Sierra Madre outpost of the Deasy Penner Podley brokerage firm.

I ran out to stalk the place shortly after its appearance in “What Have They Done?” and was thrilled to be wholeheartedly welcomed by the agents present, all of whom expressed my same affinity for the show. How exciting it must have been for them to witness a beloved series come to life right before their very eyes in their very workspace and to share the same air with such esteemed stars as Witherspoon, Dern, and Meryl-freaking-Streep! My new friends even allowed me to take pictures of the office’s interior and showed me exactly where filming had taken place!

As you can imagine, I was like a kid in a candy store, snapping away!

Deasy Penner Podley is also where Renata rants to Madeline about Otter Bay Elementary School Principal Warren Nippal (P.J. Byrne) in the episode titled “The End of the World.” According to the employees I spoke with, the office’s actual furnishings were used in the shoot, though the site has since been remodeled slightly with the black desks swiped out for natural wood versions and the back wall painted green instead of blue. Several pieces were also moved out for the shoot to give the space more openness, but otherwise, it is very recognizable from its onscreen appearance.

The Deasy Penner Podley agents also informed me that a third scene was shot at the office, but like so much of the footage from Season 2, it wound up on the cutting room floor.

Thanks to the Dear Old Hollywood website, I learned that Hotel Shirley is visible in the background of the 1956 drama Strange Intruder in the scene in which Paul Quentin (Edmund Purdom) catches a bus to leave town. (That’s it in the top left of both screen captures below.)

The Hotel can also briefly be seen in the Season 1 episode of Camping titled “Going to Town,” which aired in 2018.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking ! Smile

Stalk It: Deasy Penner Podley, aka Madeline’s real estate office from Big Little Lies, is located on the bottom level of Hotel Shirley at 30 North Baldwin Avenue in Sierra Madre. The Starbucks where Tori Bachman (Sarah Sokolovic) propositioned Ed Mackenzie (Adam Scott) in the episode titled “The Bad Mother” and where Renata lashed out at Mary Louise Wright (Streep) in “I Want to Know” can be found across the street at 1 Kersting Court. And Mother Moo Creamery, where Madeline runs into Mary Louise in “Kill Me” – and where she was supposed to throw an ice cream cone at her -is up the road at 17 Kersting Court.

July 17, 2019July 23, 2019

Ed and Tori’s Coffee Shop Meet-Up from “Big Little Lies”

If the news reports currently lighting up the internet are to be believed, the drama that took place behind the scenes of Big Little Lies’ latest season is far headier than that which unfolded onscreen! At the center of the dustup, per a recent IndieWire exposé, is Jean-Marc Vallée, the director of the series’ epic first season, who HBO penned to surreptitiously take over post-production duties from Season 2’s Andrea Arnold, largely modifying her vision. According to the article, “While there was a significant reworking of the show’s story through additional photography and an increased reliance on Season 1 flashbacks, a large part of what guided Vallée’s reconfiguration of the second season was removing Arnold’s signature contributions. Sixty-page scripts were slashed down to 40-plus minute episodes, sources say, largely by chopping up a scene to remove what one source described as Arnold’s character exploration and ‘ephemeral stuff.’” Eleven – yes, eleven! – different editors were apparently brought in to complete the retrofit. The dissension shows. Big Little Lies’ current season has not only been disjointed but seriously lacking – in storyline, character development, script (where are Madeline’s zingy one-liners?), cinematography and locations – especially in locations. The first season sported some of the most appealing spots to ever come out of Hollywood – from the houses to the restaurants to the parks, every square inch of the BLL landscape was intoxicating! This season, the sites have been tepid at best (not that I’ll stop reporting on them!). Take for instance the illicit meet-up between Ed Mackenzie (Adam Scott) and Tori Bachman (Sarah Sokolovic) in “The Bad Mother,” which took place at a . . . Starbucks. While I’m the first to extol appreciation for the coffee giant, I recognize that its stores are rather generic and bland. Not exactly the space I would have chosen for a steamy, Monterey-style tête-à-tête. Arnold, you could have done better! Nevertheless, I just had to stalk the outpost where the segment was shot.

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As I’ve said many times before, stalking begets stalking. While visiting a different Big Littles Lies location a few weeks ago (one that I have yet to blog about), I struck up a conversation with the employees of the establishment who informed me that the Starbucks at 1 Kersting Court in Sierra Madre was also used in some Season 2 filming. Though I found it extremely surprising that the series would utilize a coffee chain and thought my new friends might even be mistaken, I popped on over there to snap a few pics.

So when the café popped up Sunday night in “The Bad Mother,” I recognized it immediately.

It is at the Kersting Court Starbucks that, in what is easily one of the season’s most cringe-worthy moments, Tori propositions Ed to have an affair. (I’m not even going to mention the type of diary Tori claims she keeps!)

Thanks to extremely tight angles, which seem to be a hallmark of this season’s shooting style, not much of the coffee shop is visible in the scene.

Though it is easy to discern that the segment made use of the corner window pictured on the left-hand side below.

To add insult to injury, the Sierra Madre Starbucks was also utilized for a scene in the season finale titled “I Want to Know.” While ordering a double Americano (NO milk!) at the outpost prior to heading to court to support Celeste Wright (Nicole Kidman), a “wrought” Renata Klein (Laura Dern) runs into “judgey judger” Mary Louise Wright (Meryl Streep) and gives her a rather obscenity-laden piece of her mind. The segment (which you can watch here) is extraordinary (seriously, how is Meryl so good?), especially the ending in which Renata storms out sans her Americano causing Mary Louise to tell the barista, “Put it in a bag. I’ll take it to her cause we’re going to the same —” and then points her finger toward the wall cavalierly, failing to mention that they’re both going to Monterey Superior Court where Mary Louise is suing Celeste for custody of her two children. Like I said, the scene is genius. The location? Not so much.

The Kersting Court Starbucks is a cute little spot to grab a cup of joe, no doubt. The patio out front is especially inviting. Regardless of that fact, though, I still maintain that it is by no means extraordinary enough to be featured on a series like Big Little Lies, which is so adept at showcasing striking locations, viewers practically want to dive through their screens to immerse themselves in the scenery. Well, that was the case with Season 1, at least. Season 2 left quite a bit to be desired.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: The Starbucks where Tori propositions Ed in the Season 2 episode of Big Little Lies titled “The Bad Mother” is located at 1 Kersting Court in Sierra Madre.

July 3, 2019July 3, 2019

The Stuart at Sierra Madre Villa from “American Woman”

I’m taking a break from my regularly scheduled Big Little Lies reporting today to bring you a post about one of my favorite buildings in all of Pasadena – The Stuart at Sierra Madre Villa. I’ve written about the Mid-Century Modern apartment complex and its cameo in That Thing You Do! before – way back in November 2013 – but last June, my friend/fellow stalker Kim sent me a photo of the place after seeing it pop up on American Woman, asking if I had any idea where it was. It since went on to be featured prominently on the 2018 series (which has sadly been cancelled and won’t be returning for a second season), so I figured the site was worthy of a redo and stopped by for another stalk of it while passing through Crown City last week.

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The spectacular Neo-Formalist style property was designed by architect Edward Durell Stone, who also gave us New York’s Museum of Modern Art and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The structure, completed in 1958, originally served as the headquarters and plant of the Stuart Pharmaceutical Company.

The Mid-Century masterpiece boasts a myriad of striking architectural elements including saucer-like chandeliers, an arcade formed by cast concrete block screens, a long reflecting pool with fountains (which were not turned on the day I visited), gold columns, and pristine grounds designed by landscape architect Thomas Church.

Stuart Pharmaceutical’s forward-thinking owner Arthur O. Hanisch believed in creating a work environment that would foster both the health and comfort of his many employees. As such, he had a plethora of then unique recreational amenities added to the complex including a pool, a pool house, a shaded pavilion, a garden court, a dining hall/lounge, and a terrace. The original pool is actually still intact today and is pictured below.

Though the outside of The Stuart is stunning . . .

. . . it is the inside that sets my heart aflutter.

The two-story atrium that serves as the lobby’s centerpiece is nothing short of perfection!

Boasting massive hanging planters, globe lights, an open staircase, a coffered ceiling and textured wall paneling, the space is spectacular to behold.

It’s like the quintessential layout from a 1950s advertisement!

Or a Mad Men set come to life!

As architectural historian Lauren Weiss Bricker stated in a 2004 Future Anterior article, Hanisch hoped to “build a completely new building concept. He wanted his building to conform to the landscaping, not in the general California way but in a way that would combine timeless beauty with increased efficiency and a utilization of the Southern California climate to make for maximum comfort for his employees, both in working and recreation areas.” I’d say he succeeded! I can’t even imagine getting to work in such a beautiful space.

You can check out what The Stuart originally looked like here. Amazingly, not much of its interior or exterior has changed over the years, though it did go through its fair share of trying times.

Shortly after the Stuart Pharmaceutical Company merged with Johnson & Johnson/Merck Pharmaceuticals in 1990, the building was shuttered and then eventually put on the market. In 1994, the Metropolitan Transit Authority snapped it up and, in a horrific turn, made plans to raze it to build a . . . parking lot. Thankfully, the Pasadena Heritage Group stepped in, securing the property’s placement on the National Registry of Historic Places, thereby saving it from demolition. The group couldn’t save the building from the vandals and vagrants that descended upon it during the years it sat vacant, though, and it suffered major damage and theft. It was finally purchased by BRE Properties in 2002 and underwent a massive renovation helmed by preservation architect Robert Chattel during which the site was turned into a mixed-used apartment complex/performing arts center. The 188-unit The Stuart at Sierra Madre Villa opened its doors to new residents in 2007. Though some ancillary structures were torn down during the renovation, the original main headquarters, which serves as a leasing office and communal space, was left largely intact, as was the pool, behind which the residential buildings were erected, as you can see below.

On American Woman, The Stuart masks as the supposed Wilshire Boulevard May Company department store where Bonnie Nolan (Alicia Silverstone) gets a job after leaving her philandering husband. It initially shows up in the series’ second episode titled “Changes and the New Normal,” first in the scene in which Bonnie shops for a suit prior to meeting with an employment agent and then as the spot where she puts her interest in fashion to good use by landing a saleswoman gig.

That episode saw some on location filming at the building.

As did the episodes titled “The Breakthrough” . . .

. . . and “I Will Survive.”

But for the most part, The Stuart was utilized in establishing shots.

And only the exterior of it appeared onscreen.

Interiors were shot on a set built at Warner Bros. Studio where American Woman was lensed.

The series is hardly the only production to feature The Stuart.

The Wonders pose for publicity photos in the building’s atrium in 1996’s That Thing You Do!

The Stuart portrays the fertility clinic that Kal (Ellen DeGeneres) and Fran (Sharon Stone) visit in the “2000” segment of the 2000 made-for-television movie If These Walls Could Talk 2.

And in the Season 2 episode of Animal Kingdom titled “Betrayal,” which aired in 2017, The Stuart serves as the office of Morgan Wilson (Laura San Giacomo).

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Big THANK YOU to my friend Kim for alerting me to this location’s appearance on American Woman!

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: The Stuart at Sierra Madre Villa, aka the May Company department store from American Woman, is located at 3360 East Foothill Boulevard in Pasadena. You can visit the complex’s official website here.

June 28, 2019July 30, 2019

Café Descanso from “Big Little Lies”

My mom recently commented to me that the latest season of Big Little Lies is shot very tightly, which she finds surprising being that director Andrea Arnold sought to feature more of the great outdoors this time around. Even Blissful Drip Café, the prop coffee shop built specifically for the series on a bluff overlooking Monterey Bay, isn’t really shown. As my mom lamented, anytime the ladies dine there, all that can really be seen are the chairs. Odd considering the strikingly dramatic views that would be visible if the camera just panned back slightly. One spot we are getting more of a glimpse of (though not by much) is Café Descanso, a casual outdoor eatery located at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge. Though I would have recognized the restaurant on sight having frequented the gardens many a time in the past, I was lucky enough to interview Big Little Lies’ insanely talented production designer John Paino a few months back (which I’m still pinching myself over!) as part of an article I wrote for the June issue of Los Angeles magazine and during our chat, he mentioned its Season 2 cameo. I didn’t realize just how much the place was going to be featured, though, and have been pleasantly surprised to see it pop up in every episode that has aired as of yet, sometimes more than once! So I just had to pop by for a quick stalk while driving through the area recently.

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I covered the history of Descanso Gardens way back when in a May 2009 post (I’m going to have to update that one soon!), so I’ll spare you a recap here. Suffice it to say the 160-acre site is a bucolic wonderland of lush landscapes which include a rosarium, an oak forest, koi ponds, and a Japanese tea garden. The venue charges a meager $9 admission fee, as opposed to The Huntington’s $25, so it does get pretty significantly crowded, something I bemoaned in my previous post. Regardless of the crowds, though, Descanso is beautiful.

The property boasts two onsite dining options – Maple, an upscale indoor eatery, and Café Descanso (pictured below), a walk-up window deli/bakery connected to a large outdoor patio. Both are operated by the Patina Restaurant Group.

The offerings at Café Descanso include pastries, coffees, salads, sandwiches, beer, wine and more.

I did not sample any of the fare while there, so I can’t say whether it is good or not, but the atmosphere sure is stellar!

Judging by the crowds, though (the line to the walk-up window never seemed to wane), I’d say the food must be pretty tasty.

Bonus – because the café is situated outside of Descanso’s entrance, admission is not required to dine there! (The same is true of Maple.)

Café Descanso is a truly idyllic little spot and, with its mature foliage, definitely has a Monterey feel, so it is not surprising that it came to be used on Big Little Lies.

In the series’ Season 2 opener, ”What Have They Done?”, Nathan Carlson (James Tupper) runs into Ed Mackenzie (Adam Scott) at the eatery and asks him to take his wife, Bonnie Carlson (Zoë Kravitz), out to lunch in the hopes of getting her to open up since “she’s gone missing in mental action.”

Unfortunately, I failed to bring screen captures with me on this particular stalk, so my photos above and below are from slightly different angles from which the scene was shot.

In the second episode of Season 2, titled “Tell-Tale Hearts,” Renata Klein (Laura Dern) tells Madeline Martha Mackenzie (Reese Witherspoon) about her husband’s financial misdeeds while at Café Descanso.

Again, my photos are slightly off angle-wise.

Later in that same episode, Ed and Nathan run into each other once again at the café and almost come to blows.

That particular scene was shot by the eatery’s walk-up window, which was changed a bit for the shoot. Not only was a menu board removed, but a sugar and creamer station were positioned at the forefront of the space, I believe, to make it appear to be more of a coffee shop than a restaurant.

In “The End of the World,” Madeline stumbles upon Ed and Bonnie having coffee together at Descanso Café.

Needless to say, she does not take the sighting well.

And in “She Knows,” Madeline and Renata run into Detective Adrienne Quinlan (Merrin Dungey) there.

I am fairly certain Café Descanso will be featured in additional Season 2 episodes and will update this post accordingly.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Café Descanso, from the second season of Big Little Lies, can be found at Descanso Gardens which is located at 1418 Descanso Drive in La Cañada Flintridge. You can visit the garden’s official website here. The café, which is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., is situated past the venue’s ticketing area, but is outside of the actual entrance, so admission is not required to dine there.

June 26, 2019July 16, 2019

The Stage from “Big Little Lies’

So far I am unimpressed with the locations featured in Big Little Lies’ second season. During the HBO series’ first go-round, not only were the locales fantastic, but they were showcased to such an incredible extent that they pretty much overshadowed everything else – but in the best way possible! Despite the drama and tension constantly hovering around Madeline Martha Mackenzie (Reese Witherspoon) and the gang, the atmosphere completely drew me in. From the houses to the restaurants to the scenic overlooks, the ladies’ beautiful but haunting world was definitely a place I wanted more of. This season, not so much. In fact, in the three episodes that have aired so far, there hasn’t been a single location standout – in my eyes at least. Even the spots that are striking in real life aren’t being showcased well. Case in point – Burbank’s The Stage California Fusion Restaurant & Café, which masked as the supposed Monterey-area Neptune’s Bistro, where Jane Chapman (Shailene Woodley) went on a rather odd date with her co-worker, Corey Brockfield (Douglas Smith), in the latest episode titled “The End of the World.” I learned about the arcadian eatery thanks to a reader named Lew who posted a comment alerting me that the series was filming on the premises on my Round-Up of Big Little Lies Filming Locations post back in March 2018. I finally stalked the place this past May and can honestly say it is, hands down, one of the coolest, prettiest and most unique venues in L.A.! I anxiously awaited its BLL cameo and was disappointed – and rather surprised – when it finally popped up in very limited form this past Sunday. Hardly any of it could be seen! So I figured it was my duty to properly showcase it for my readers here.

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The Stage California Fusion Restaurant & Café opened its doors in June 2013 on the site of what was formerly a garden shop known as Lucky Plants. Considering the eatery’s pastoral quality, you might think much of the design and foliage are holdovers from the space’s time as a nursery, but as you can see in the August 2011 Street View image as compared to my photograph below, that is, oddly, not the case. Lucky Plants can hardly be described as bucolic. As commenter Vahan Bznuni said of the property’s redevelopment, “They turned an abandoned former nursery with no hint of green into a lush garden paradise.”

The difference is incredible!

Garden paradise it truly is!

The Stage is all bright bougainvillea vines, lush hedges, towering trees and hanging blossoms coupled with reclaimed wood, strung twinkle lights and colorful décor.

Each vista proves more stunning than the last and includes an expansive main courtyard;

a raised patio known as “The Veranda”;

an indoor dining room dubbed “The House” . . .

. . . complete with a stage . . .

canopied pathways;

and a covered patio.

Even the restaurant’s signage is whimsical!

And the parking lot picturesque!

The place is so gorgeous that I took over 110 photographs while there!

Literally everything at The Stage is picture-worthy.

The Grim Cheaper and I dined in a tucked-away little enclave, of which the restaurant has several. It was a bit chilly during our lunch, so our server offered us blankets to keep warm, which perfectly epitomized the place to me. The Stage is warm, cozy and inviting.

Oh, and the food’s not bad either!

We opted for the Shrimp Gruyere appetizer consisting of massive-size prawns wrapped in smoked bacon and covered in Gruyere cheese with a tarragon dipping sauce. And yes, it tasted just as good as it looked.

Big Little Lies’ “The End of the World” episode made use of The Stage’s courtyard area for Jane and Corey’s very brief date scene during which Corey obsessively touts his obscure knowledge of wild versus farmed seafood.

Though the space did appear beautiful onscreen . . .

. . . it was nothing compared to its actual beauty.

I mean!

I am hoping the eatery is featured again in some of Season 2’s upcoming episodes, otherwise what a waste of a location!

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Big THANK YOU to fellow stalker Lew for telling me about this location!

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: The Stage California Fusion Restaurant & Café, aka Corey and Jane’s date spot from “The End of the World” episode of Big Little Lies, is located at 546 South San Fernando Boulevard in Burbank. You can visit the eatery’s official website here. The Stage is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

June 21, 2019July 16, 2019

Blue Blues Café from “Big Little Lies”

Two episodes in to the latest season of Big Little Lies and I am still missing Blue Blues, the café that figured so prominently in Season 1. As the Huffington Post recently stated, the loss has left a “Venti cappuccino-sized hole” in my heart. So I figured it was only proper to devote a blog to the seaside coffee shop – or at least to the eatery that inspired it. Those who have read my other posts on the hit HBO series (which you can check out here, here and here) know that Blue Blues was not a real place. Though countless online sources claim that Big Little Lies’ café scenes were shot at Paluca Trattoria, a popular restaurant on Monterey’s Old Fisherman’s Wharf, that is not true. Sadly, Blue Blues was nothing more than a set constructed on a soundstage at The Culver Studios, where the show’s inaugural season was lensed. Paluca did serve as the model for the charming space, though, so when my friend Nat informed me that she was heading to Monterey a few weeks back, I recruited her to stalk it for me.

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Paluca Trattoria was originally established in 2000 by Sicilian-born chef Sal Tedesco and his wife, Ashley. The duo opened the eatery, named after their two sons Paolo and Luca, in a picturesque corner spot on Old Fisherman’s Wharf that formerly housed Captain’s Gig, a landmark restaurant that had been in operation since the early 1970s. You can check out some photos of the site during the Captain’s Gig days here.

Per a reader named Barbara who commented on my 2017 A Round-Up of Big Little Lies Filming Locations post, Captain’s Gig used to feature a basket that ran between the eatery’s first and second floors which the cook would put orders into and then lift to the top level for patrons to retrieve.

Today, the upscale restaurant, which serves Italian-inspired seafood dishes, is the definition of farmhouse chic, sporting shiplap walls, hardwood flooring, floor to ceiling windows, a large patio area, and stunning views of the bay.

Paluca’s use on Big Little Lies came about in a rather organic way. While scouting Central Coast locales for Season 1, director Jean-Marc Vallée patronized the establishment and, in doing so, quickly befriended Sal. As Ashley tells the Huffington Post, “The director would come over to our place and just hang out in the mornings and have coffee and come and have lunch and he just sort of chatted with my husband. He’s there every day. They sort of hit it off and that’s how it came to be, just on the fly.” Per Eater, the Trattoria had the exact aesthetic Vallée was seeking – “a snug hideaway that’s just a bit rough around the edges.” For a plethora of reasons, mainly having to do with the ever-present fog that plagues Monterey, it was decided that instead of filming on the premises, the eatery would be re-envisioned onstage in Los Angeles. Eater explains, “The production team took measurements of the Paluca space, filmed the surrounding area, and re-created the restaurant at a studio using a green screen so that they could fill in plate shots of the harbor in post-production.”

Though a sign outside of Paluca Trattoria misleadingly proclaims, “Our little gem by the Bay was selected as one of the filming locations for the HBO series Big Little Lies,” no scenes were actually lensed there. All filming took place on set. As you can see in my images as compared to screen captures from the show above and below, though Blue Blues does greatly resemble Paluca, there are enough differences to know that the two places are not one and the same.

That is especially true when you take a look at the two interiors.

Of Blue Blues’ cozy, inviting inside, production designer John Paino told Eater, “I’ve done a lot of shows in Atlanta, and I’ve looked at a lot of cafés there that were run by women that had a lot of those silly knick-knacks that say, like, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ I loved that aesthetic, that reclaimed farmhouse look, but in our case it would be reclaimed marine.” Paino truly nailed the style he was going for. Blue Blues was quaint, charming and warm – much more so than I find Blissful Drip this season.

The inside of Paluca, while pretty, is much less homey and much more sleek than its onscreen counterpart.

Nevertheless, many fans still contend that filming took place there. I am here to assure you that none actually did. Both the interior and exterior of Blue Blues were part of a large set that existed only on a soundstage. Still don’t believe me? I’ve got the receipts to prove it thanks to a couple of videos (which you can check out here and here) put together by REAL by FAKE, the Montreal-based production company that handled Big Little Lies’ digital effects.

As you can see above and below, I’ve compiled a bunch of screen grabs from the two reels as well as comparison shots from the series that show the whole café was studio-built and situated in front of a huge green screen.

The massive screen wrapped around the entire Blue Blues set so as to be visible from inside the café, as well.

During post-production, REAL by FAKE digitally swapped in a background showing views of Monterey Harbor that matched those of Paluca Trattoria.

The company also added faux sunshine and shadows to make the women appear to be outside while sitting on Blue Blues’ deck.

Of the process (which you can see take shape in this fascinating video), Big Little Lies visual effects coordinator Marc Côté says, “We did 1,428 visual effects for the entire series, about 220 per episode. I hope you were not able to see them.” Amazingly, that goal was achieved – the effects are perfectly seamless. Green screen magic at its finest!

Despite the fact that Paluca Trattoria never actually appeared on Big Little Lies – or more correctly, because of the misinformation floating around about its supposed cameo – fans stalk the restaurant in droves. I can’t tell you the number of Instagram photos I’ve come across of people posing at “Madeline’s regular table,” as evidenced here, here and here. The place has become such a draw that Sal told Eater, “I had to go buy a bigger espresso machine because I couldn’t keep up with the coffee sales.” Of their newfound fame, Ashley says, “We are shocked. We cannot believe how many people come because of the show, still. They found us. We didn’t push it out there. We didn’t push it out there at all. We didn’t advertise it on our social media. We were just really low key about it, but people sought us out. We didn’t know it’d be such a big deal. It’s been a nice little gift. Things [like that] don’t happen often in life, and then when they announced the second season we thought, ‘Oh my gosh. It’s like the bonus round.’ Even though we’re not in it, people are still coming because they’re excited about the show.” Ah, the power of filming locations!

Big THANK YOU to my friend Nat for stalking this location for me!

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Blue Blues Café, from the first season of Big Little Lies, is not a real place, but a studio-built set based upon the Italian restaurant Paluca Trattoria located at 6D Old Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey. You can visit the eatery’s official website here.